Electrical connectors are used in many electronic systems, including telecommunication, storage technology, data transmission, etc. Card edge connectors are widely used to make connections between a backplane and several daughtercards such that signals may be routed between the backplane and the daughtercards.
Card edge connectors may be mounted on a backplane. Conducting traces in the backplane may be electrically connected to conductive elements in the connectors. Daughtercards have conductive pads at edges, sometimes called contact fingers, which may be electrically connected to conductive elements of card edge connectors when inserted in slots of the card edge connectors. Signals may be routed among daughtercards through the connectors and the backplane.
Conductive pads of daughtercards are susceptible to oxidation, scratches, and/or contaminations, which may deteriorate their connections with conductive elements of card edge connectors and thus their connections with the backplane.